The Caliph grins at suicidal British political correctness

Instead of free ideas, in the UK debate is treated as a form of abuse.

Giulio Meotti, 26/12/15 18:46

OpEds

giulio meott

צילום: עצמי

Giulio Meotti

The writer, an Italian journalist with Il Foglio, writes a twice-weekly column for Arutz Sheva. He is the author of the book "A New Shoah", that researched the personal stories of Israel's terror victims, published by Encounter and of "J'Accuse: the Vatican Against Israel" published by Mantua Books.. His writing has appeared in publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, Frontpage and Commentary.

The Daily Telegraph sheds light on the new phenomenon of British sanctimony: "If Nelson Mandela could tolerate Cecil Rhodes, why cannot the students of Oxford?". Cecil Rhodes is the man who conquered southern Africa for England, and whose accomplishments were honored in the name Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Around that name the British academia has now fallen prey to hysteria.

"Rhodes Must Fall" cry the students and professors outside Oxford, many of whom are themselves part of the Rhodes Scholarship group, the program built by the "racist" tycoon to allow foreign students to study at Oxford.

Meanwhile, across the UK, a general air of hostility is spreading against opinions that could cause even only a hint of distress in students, forcing the Financial Times to publish an editorial: "It is in the interest of universities to maintain a free and fertile academic environment."

Instead of free ideas, in the UK debate is treated as a form of abuse. There is the case of the Iranian dissident Maryam Namazie, who was attacked and prevented from speaking at many UK colleges, like Goldsmiths and Warwick. Her hymn against religion and for Western free speech "offended" British students of Islamic faith.

At University College in London, a former student, Macer Gifford, was prevented from telling his experience in the ranks of Kurdish fighters committed to battle against the Islamic State. The reason? "In every conflict there are two sides and our college does not want to take sides."

Professor Frank Furedy, professor of sociology at the University of Canterbury, argues that it is a new phenomenon in England, never seen before.

The University of East Anglia has just banned the use of the sombrero, because it is considered hateful towards Hispanic students.

Oxford has canceled a debate on abortion, because women's organizations had complained about the presence, among the speakers, of "a person without a uterus." Don't laugh, it is really happening at the university founded in 1096.

The University of Cardiff has tried to remove the feminist Germaine Greer, "guilty" of not considering women and transsexuals as equals..

The University of Leicester has organized a conference entitled "Does God exist?", assigning separate seating for men and women. Meanwhile, these British "safe spaces" are used by apologists for Islamist cutthroats who gather support and are affiliated with these universities ("Jihadi John", the late Isis' executioner, was a brilliant student of Westminster). Some days ago, the Telegraph published an article entitled: "The ideology of the ISIS dominates British universities."

The same universities that are uncomfortable accommodating heterodox feminists and Islamic dissidents, such as the Queen Mary University of London, allow events under the banner of Islam where women sit separated from men, in accordance with the Sharia or Islamic law, as if they were in Riyadh or Tehran.

The Queen Mary in recent days has had to suspend the activities of the Islamic Society: there have been too many volunteers recruited for Raqqa's Caliph. The University of Leicester has organized a conference entitled "Does God exist?", assigning separate seating for men and women.

Muslim activist for women's rights, Maryam Namazie, has been driven away by fanatic Islamists with the approval of the stupid gay militants. In British colleges it was Namazie who needed a "safe space" to deliver her speech, protected by bodyguards, while students and professors sneered as did the French tricoteuse (knitters, like Dicken's Mme. Defarge) who, seated near the guillotine, enjoyed seeing the people condemned to death going to the gallows.

Meanwhile, British professors, writers, musicians, intellectuals and professionals are busy promoting initiatives to boycott the Jewish State and its professors.